Some known vehicle consists include several powered vehicles that generate tractive effort for propelling the vehicle consists along a route. For example, trains may have several locomotives coupled with each other that propel the train along a track. The locomotives may communicate with each other in order to coordinate the tractive efforts and/or braking efforts provided by the locomotives. As one example, locomotives may be provided in a distributed power (DP) arrangement with one locomotive designated as a lead locomotive and other locomotives designated as remote locomotives. The lead locomotive may direct the tractive and braking efforts provided by the remote locomotives during a trip of the consist.
Some known consists use wireless communication between the locomotives for coordinating the tractive and/or braking efforts. For example, a lead locomotive can issue commands to the remote locomotives. The remote locomotives receive the commands and implement the tractive efforts and/or braking efforts directed by the commands. In order to ensure that the remote locomotives receive the commands, the lead locomotive may periodically re-transmit the commands until all of the remote locomotives confirm receipt of the commands by communicating a confirmation message to the lead locomotive.
Due to interference with wireless communications caused by other wireless devices, significant distance between locomotives, travel through tunnels or urban areas, and the like, some confirmation messages may not be received by the lead locomotive. As a result, the lead locomotive may continue to re-send the commands to the remote locomotives on a periodic basis, even if the remote locomotives have received the commands. Some lead locomotives declare a communication error or loss of communication state when all of the remote locomotives do not reply to command messages after a designated number of re-transmissions of the command messages. Such a communication error state alerts the operator of the loss of communication with the remote locomotives and may cause the operator undue concern about the operating state of the remote locomotives and the operator to slow or stop movement until the error can be examined and/or repaired. If the cause of the error state is that the remote locomotives are receiving the command messages but the lead locomotive is not receiving all of the confirmation messages from the remote locomotives, such an communication error state may be unnecessary and consume considerable time during the scheduled travels of the consist.